BUGS in writing
by Lyn Dupré · first published 1995
82% recommend18% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Practical, example-driven guide to fixing specific prose problems, with examples rated from ugly to splendid; praised as a reference for technical writers and engineers who want to write clearly.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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1) I don't believe you. You're a fine writer. 2) Writers write. So write more. The only actionable advice I ever got. I used to devour howtos like Bugs In Writing. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/601222.Bugs_in_Writing Once I felt confident that I'm saying what I meant to say, I think I stopped. I should probably revisit the classics for a refresher. 3) Simple…
on “Remote Only” ↗Two things I recommend: the Google tech writing courses: https://developers.google.com/tech-writing And "Bugs in Writing", which I've been pressing into people's hands for twenty years now. https://www.amazon.com/BUGS-Writing-Revised-Guide-Debugging/...
on “Ask HN: How to level up your technical writing?” ↗Bugs in writing by Lyn Dupré
on “Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?” ↗…make sense for your environment -- who is the audience, what do they come with, what are they trying to do? If they need help at the micro level of putting words together well, check out Lynn Dupre's "Bugs in Writing: A Guide to Debugging Your Prose" <https://www.amazon.com/BUGS-Writing-Revised-Guide-Debugging/...>. If they're curious about the skills of a technical writer, Google has some good courses. <https://developers.google.com/tech-writing>…
on “Ask HN: How do you upskill your teams technical writing?” ↗BUGS in Writing, Revised Edition: A Guide to Debugging Your Prose (2nd Edition) [Paperback] Lyn Dupre (Author) This is a useful and sometimes inspiring book. Lyn Dupre was copy editor for some of Don Knuth's books.…
on “Ask HN: Effectively improving your writing ability” ↗I bought the first edition of Bugs In Writing (http://www.amazon.com/BUGS-Writing-Revised-Guide-Debugging/d...) years ago, and have found it an excellent reference. It's aimed at technical writers and is a beautifully written book. Highly reccomended.…
on “Common Errors in English Usage” ↗I almost always find thoughtful discussion of how to write and convey ideas to be inspirational. Lyn Dupre's book, Bugs in Writing (http://www.amazon.com/BUGS-Writing-Revised-Edition-Debugging...) is good about some of the mechanics. Likewise, thoughtful articles about how to structure and write good computer code are almost always…
on “The Secret to Good Writing: It's About Objects, Not Ideas” ↗Check out Lyn Dupre's "Bugs in Writing." She was the department editor for Stanfords Biomedical Informatics program for several years and synthesized her work into that book. It's required reading for incoming students.
on “Lessons Learned from “On Writing Well”” ↗A favorite of mine is the book BUGS in Writing, by Lyn Dupré (1998, Addison Wesley). It's a teach-by-example book with lots of examples she rates as ugly, bad, good, and even splendid.
on “You might as well be a great copy editor” ↗Have a look at a book called "Bugs in Writing" by Lyn Dupre'. Technical writers at Google recommend it. It's organized into more than a hundred short pleasantly readable chapters with each one focused on troubleshooting a specific issue. There's…
on “Ask HN: How did you learn to write?” ↗…https://github.com/feldera/feldera/blob/main/CLAUDE.md: - Adhere to rules in "Code Complete" by Steve McConnell. - Adhere to rules in "The Art of Readable Code" by Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher. - Adhere to rules in "Bugs in Writing: A Guide to Debugging Your Prose" by Lyn Dupre. - Adhere to rules in "The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition" by William Strunk Jr. & E. B. White e.g., mentioning Elements of Style and Bugs in Writing…
on “Clean code in the age of coding agents” ↗You can also read it on Open Library for free :) https://openlibrary.org/works/OL2743029W/BUGS_in_writing?edi...
on “Ask HN: How to level up your technical writing?” ↗When I was doing my PhD, I was really in love with such guides. There is also the book Bugs in Writing by Lyn Dupré. Looking back I'm not so sure about the utility in scientific writing. Every research community has its own jargon. If don't stick to it, you're going to have a hard time. Today, I very…
on “Common Bugs in Writing” ↗